


i love you continuously, intensely

by lazyfish



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Marriage Proposal, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23085361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazyfish/pseuds/lazyfish
Summary: Hunter makes a mistake, and is determined to make up for it.
Relationships: Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse
Comments: 12
Kudos: 45
Collections: MCU RarePairs Bingo 2019





	i love you continuously, intensely

Hunter used his copy of the key to let himself into Bobbi’s apartment, but hesitated when he reached her bedroom door.

She wasn’t going to want to see him, but he needed to see her.

He knocked, but there was no answer. Hunter opened the door slowly, waiting for something to come flying at his head, but all that greeted him was almost-eerie silence.

It took him a second to realize Bobbi was indeed in the room - she was just asleep, curled up on her loft bed. Her knees were tucked into her chest and her fists were clenched tightly in on themselves. Hunter didn’t doubt her grip had been white-knuckled before she fell asleep and everything had become more relaxed.

He threw his jacket onto the back of Bobbi’s chair and peeled off his jeans and shirt. Maybe Bobbi would yell at him when she woke up, but he didn’t care; he couldn’t let her lie there, looking so small and fragile and helpless, and not want to make it better. 

He needed to make things better.

Hunter hauled himself up the ladder into the loft, careful not to jostle Bobbi when he maneuvered over her so he was spooning her back. She snuffled softly when he draped his arm around her waist, but didn’t wake up.

He couldn’t say how long he laid there, holding her. The sense of impending doom he had felt since opening the door to the apartment hadn’t subsided; if anything, it grew the longer he was with Bobbi, facing the reality that this might be the last time he got to be this close to her.

Hunter breathed in deeply, trying to memorize this moment. Bobbi’s back pressed against his chest, and though they didn’t fit together perfectly, neither of them cared. They had never sought perfection - it wasn’t achievable anyways. They were growing together, and that was all that mattered. Or at least, that was the way things had been.

He was still busy trying to burn the memory into his brain when Bobbi shifted.

“Hunter?” she mumbled sleepily.

“Hi, love.” Hunter chanced a quick kiss to the base of her neck. “Were you expecting to wake up next to a different handsome half-naked man?”

“No,” Bobbi said around a yawn, rolling over to face him. “Just wasn’t sure when I’d see this one again.”

“I’m sorry.” Hunter swallowed hard. “I shouldn’t have done a runner on you. I -”

“You were scared,” Bobbi interrupted, voice soft.

“So were you.” He cleared his throat. “You deserve better than me, Bob.”

“I really hope this isn't you trying to break up with me.” Bobbi frowned.

“No. Never. I just want you to know you don’t have to settle for -”

“I’m not _settling_ for anyone, stupid. If you’re in, I’m in.”

“I’m in,” Hunter whispered. “So, so in.” He leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose. Bobbi scrunched her face adorably.

“Good, because I don’t know if I could find anyone else willing to deal with an even pissier version of me.”

“Who says you’re going to be pissier?”

“The internet.”

“Oh, yes, let’s always believe the internet, that’s _so_ intelligent. Jesus. We’re graduating college in a month and a half and you’ve learned nothing.”

“Have to!”

“Like?”

“Well, I was smart enough to take a pregnancy test.” Bobbi’s fist had released over the course of the conversation, leaving the item in question flat in the palm of her hand. Two lines, clear as day.

Naturally Hunter’d had to muck it up by freaking out and running out of the apartment, but he’d gotten his shit together and managed to tamp his panic down to a manageable level. He’d come back for her, just like he would again, and again, and again.

“And smart enough to use condoms?”

“Valentine’s Day,” Bobbi hummed. Right - there had been a lot of chocolate and probably too much champagne and they _may_ have forgotten to use a condom; they hadn’t been able to tell in the morning, since their room had been a mess. At least the appearance of a baby answered that question.

“We _cannot_ tell our kid that.”

“They’ll find out on their own when they realize their birthday is November 14th.”

“Don’t suppose I could persuade you to pop it out early?” Hunter asked with a grin.

“I don’t think I’ll need persuading. I’m already exhausted all the fucking time and you can’t even _see_ the baby yet.” She punctuated the statement with a wide yawn before cuddling closer to him.

Hunter’s brow furrowed. “Can I help?”

“Not unless you can cancel my classes so I can nap.”

“I could go to class for you. Take notes and all that shit.”

“And you wouldn’t understand a word,” Bobbi smirked. “No, Hunter. I’m fine.”

Hunter was still dubious. “I got you into this mess. I’m just trying to find a way to make it better.”

“ _We_ got me into this mess. In case you forgot I wasn’t exactly saying no.”

“I do recall,” Hunter said, smiling playfully. That had been a good night. “You seem to have a hard time saying no to me at all.”

“Don’t let it get to your head there, babe.”

“Too late. I got my girlfriend pregnant, I’m allowed to be a bastard about it,” Hunter said smugly.

“You know _you_ get to tell my dad that, right?”

The color drained from Hunter’s face. “What happened to _we_ , Barbara?” Oh, Phil Coulson was going to kill him. Bobbi’d be lucky if she had anything left to bury.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ll tell your mom.”

“Oh no, she’d kill me if I didn’t tell her myself.” Hunter paused. “Speaking of your dad, though, there’s something else I want to talk to you about.”

“You want to talk about my dad?” Bobbi wasn’t thrilled.

“No, not exactly. Give me a second.” Hunter crawled over his girlfriend and down the ladder, returning to his jacket - more specifically, the pockets of his jacket. He fished something out before turning back to the bed, where Bobbi was peering over the railing curiously.

“I want to start this by saying I’ve had this since Christmas and today has had absolutely no bearing on my decision.” Hunter cleared his throat nervously. “But I want to show you so you know my intentions.”

“Know your intentions?” Bobbi repeated.

Hunter opened his hand to reveal the black velvet box.

“Hunter…”

“I talked to your dad when we went to visit him for the New Year. Not to ask his permission because I know that’s stupid and archaic and you’d hate me for it, but because I wanted your family to want this as much as I do. And he asked me to wait until after graduation so we weren’t making so many big life changes all at once, so I’m going to do that, but… I want to marry you, Bob. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Have done since the day we met. And I want you to know that since I’m an idiot who runs when he’s scared and you shouldn’t ever have to wonder if I’m going to be coming back. I will _always_ come back to you.”

Hunter’s mouth felt dryer than it ever had when he finished his speech, and surprise blossomed in his chest when he realized he had made it through without Bobbi interrupting him once. She was still draped over the railing of the loft, staring down with impossibly big blue eyes.

“No.”

His heart stopped. “N-no?”

“I don’t want you to wait just because my dad asked you to, Hunter. And I know you’re good at running away, but I am too and I don’t want you spending the next two months wondering if I’m going to say yes. Ask me.”

“Technically it’s a month and a half,” Hunter said weakly, unable to deny the exact fear she’d named had been creeping through his brain for a long while. What he had said earlier was true - she _did_ deserve better than him. He was a mess of neuroses stitched together with too much sarcasm and an inferiority complex a mile wide. She deserved someone who could take care of her, could take care of her kid, and he wasn’t convinced he was it.

“ _Ask me._ ”

Hunter knew better to argue with Bobbi when she had that tone. He moved to grab his clothes, tugging on his shirt quickly.

“What are you -?”

“I’m not proposing to you in my boxers!”

Bobbi laughed, loud and freely. Hunter savored the sound, savored the wildness in it. He loved Bobbi’s laugh - loved how often he was the one to make her laugh. He loved that he was about to propose to the love of his life and she was laughing at him and the world felt so much righter than it had when he’d entered the room.

When his clothes were back on and Bobbi had climbed off her loft, Hunter dropped to both of his knees in front of her. Much better than one knee, he thought - Bobbi brought him to his knees in a thousand impossible ways, and that ought to be reflected in his proposal.

“Bobbi Morse…” He heaved out a breath. “You are everything to me. I never thought I’d meet someone who knows me like you do, who sees me the way you see me. I never thought there’d be someone who’d find light in me even when all I saw was darkness.” Shit. Hunter didn’t ever think he’d be the kind to cry while proposing, but his eyes were already prickling. 

“I know our path hasn’t been easy. We’ve fought a thousand times, but looking back on it all… I’m thankful for those fights. I’m thankful for all the chances we had to walk away from each other but chose to stay. Because what defines a relationship isn’t how we act during the good times - it’s how we act during the bad ones. And even on my worst days, I never doubted you were in my corner. I never doubted I was in yours. I’ve never known a love like that before, and I doubt I ever will again.

“A month and a half from now our lives are going to change when we finish school. Seven months after that our lives are going to change again when we welcome our baby into this world. And I’m sure life won’t stop changing after that, either. There’s a lot I don’t know, but there’s a lot I do know, too. And I know I love you. I know you love me. I know that no matter what changes, I can face life with you.” Hunter brushed off the tears trickling down his face. “And I know I want you to be my wife. So, Bobbi Morse, will you marry me?”

He opened the ring box, hands shaking and vision blurring with tears. It was clear enough for him to be able to see Bobbi nodding, though, and Hunter fumbled until he managed to slide it on her finger. It fit perfectly.

She bent down, grabbing his face and pulling him into a kiss. Hunter stood up without breaking the kiss, looping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug while their lips remained fused together. They were both crying, but they were tears of joy.

“You’re really sure?” Bobbi asked when she broke away from him.

“I think I should be asking you that.” Hunter brushed quick kisses across both her cheeks. “Do you really want to be married to an English teacher?”

“Do you really want to be married to a lab rat?”

“I want to be married to you, so yes.” Hunter tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Besides, we’re going to need that health insurance.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Bobbi dropped her head onto Hunter’s shoulder. “What do you think the chances are I can go to an obstetrician without my parents finding out?”

“Little to none,” Hunter answered with a grimace. “You can distract them with the proposal?”

“I’m going to have to,” Bobbi sighed. “Or I could pretend I have a yeast infection.”

“That’s a short-term solution to a long-term problem,” Hunter said apologetically. “Well, not problem. But you know what I mean.”

“You mean I can’t hide my pregnancy from my parents for nine months?”

“If anyone can, it’s you,” Hunter said, running his hand through Bobbi’s hair. “But your parents might be a little pissed when you show up to Thanksgiving with a baby.”

“We can skip Thanksgiving.”

“Christmas.”

“We can skip Christmas.”

“We can’t skip every holiday for the rest of our lives, Bob,” Hunter said with a chuckle. “It won’t be that bad. They’ll yell a little but they’ll be happy I did the right thing or whatever shite.”

“You promise you didn’t just ask me to marry you because of the baby?” Bobbi asked, voice small.

“Where do you think I can get an engagement ring in your size on an hour’s notice?”

“Dunno.” Bobbi nuzzled further into his shoulder. “I guess I’m just stupid and insecure.”

“As I recall, you told me to ask you because _I’m_ stupid and insecure.”

“God, we really are a pair,” Bobbi muttered.

“Guess what?” 

“What?” Bobbi asked, lifting her head.

“I’m going to marry you, and then we can be stupid and insecure together for forever and ever.”

“And ever?”

“That might be a bit too long,” Hunter smirked.

“Hush, you.” Bobbi smiled as she pulled him in for a kiss.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Hey Hunter?” Bobbi asked after a slight pause.

“Hey Bob,” he answered back easily.

“Can you…” she gestured vaguely towards her abdomen.

“Not tracking, love.”

“I’m not going to believe you’re actually happy about this until you acknowledge the actual, physical reality of the baby,” Bobbi said in a rush. She clapped her hands over her mouth when she was done, as if she was horrified of what she had just said.

“Just for the record, generally you don’t ask someone to marry you if you’re unhappy with them,” Hunter said, resuming his kneeling position in front of Bobbi.

“Stupid and insecure, remember?”

“Right.” Hunter lifted the hem of Bobbi’s shirt up to reveal the flat, smooth expanse of her stomach. He had seen it so many times before, but never like this - never knowing that beneath the surface she was knitting together an entire new human. _Their_ human.

“Hullo, baby,” he said, suddenly feeling awkward. He had made too many grand speeches today and now he was all out of words. “I’m your dad. I just asked your mum to marry me.” Bobbi’s hand came to cradle the back of his head, and Hunter drew strength from her touch. “I’m probably not going to be the best dad, but you’ve got your mum to make up for it. She’s brilliant, and I love her more than anything.”

Maybe one day he would love his child as much as he loved his Bob, but the reality was, today was not that day. He had a lifetime to get to know the baby, though - a lifetime to be secure enough in his relationship to realize it was okay if he loved someone more than Bobbi.

“We’re going to be okay, baby. We’re going to be a family.”

Hunter stood up after that, allowing Bobbi to once again seek refuge in his arms.

He was going to marry her, they were going to have a baby, and they were going to make it out of college alive.


End file.
